Pepper Unhappy About Tv Ad Endorsement Of Gephardt Shown After Attack On Dukakis

March 6, 1988|By J. Craig Crawford and Donna Blanton of The Sentinel Staff (Anne Groer of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report.)

Florida's presidential television battles took a new turn Saturday as Miami Congressman Claude Pepper registered unhappiness that he is featured in a television advertisement that attacks contender Mike Dukakis.

Pepper, darling of South Florida's retired set, has endorsed candidate Dick Gephardt. He has said so in a 30-second TV spot the Gephardt campaign is running in Florida markets with large numbers of retirees.

What Pepper didn't know is that Gephardt's staff changed the ad Friday. The new version starts with a 10-second attack on Dukakis for ''dirty tricks'' campaigning. The insert refers to charges that Dukakis aides smeared former candidate Joe Biden and tried to spy on Paul Simon's Iowa campaign office.

The 10-second Dukakis attack and a 20-second excerpt of the Pepper endorsement are spliced together as one 30-second spot, said Tom Sweeney, spokesman for Miami's WPLG-Channel 10. The television station is one of several in Miami, West Palm Beach and Tampa that are running the ad.

Questioned while campaigning with Gephardt in Fort Lauderdale Saturday, Pepper was surprised and unhappy about the new version of his ad.

''I didn't know about this until you told me,'' Pepper said to a reporter. ''It concerns me. I will inquire about it.''

Pepper said that if he had been asked he wouldn't have approved being associated with an ad attacking another candidate.

''I don't say anything about other candidates, or about attacks, one against the other,'' Pepper said.

Gephardt's campaign manager, Bill Carrick, said Saturday night there was no intent to link Pepper with the ad critical of Dukakis. Carrick said the ads may have been put together because it is difficult to buy time for a 10- second spot by itself.

Pepper has been told that the campaign will try to see if the ads can be separated, Carrick said. He said, however, that nothing can be done during the weekend.

Dukakis aides were quick to take offense.

''Claude Pepper is one of the great heroes of Florida,'' said Steve Rosenfeld, Dukakis' Florida campaign manager. ''When we first saw this desperation tape, we were surprised that Pepper would allow his endorsement to be connected with it.''

Gephardt was asked Saturday if he had sought Pepper's permission to have his endorsement spliced with the Dukakis attack.

''Sen. Pepper has supported me for a long time,'' Gephardt said. Asked again if Pepper had given permission, Gephardt did not answer.

From Fort Lauderdale Gephardt headed to the 53rd annual Plant City Strawberry Festival, where he worked the crowd in pouring rain before ducking inside for some shortcake piled high with whipped cream. With his mouth full, he mumbled, ''It's the best, the best thing I've ever eaten.''

As he turned to leave, Gephardt said, ''We will have Plant City strawberries in the White House.''